


Grinching

by T Verano (t_verano)



Series: December, This Time Around [3]
Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: 2015 TS Secret Santa Drabble Days prompt "Grinch", Christmas fic, M/M, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2015-12-04
Packaged: 2020-04-12 12:40:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19132210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_verano/pseuds/T%20Verano
Summary: December with the guys a couple of years post-TSbyBS.The holiday season is upon them, and both the guys are having some issues with it.





	Grinching

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2015 TS Secret Santa Drabble Days prompt "Grinch"

"Man, I am so glad you're out of here tomorrow." Blair rolled his eyes as Jim looked up from the TV to shoot him a strongly worded — if totally silent — glare. "It's not that I want you gone — you know that, right? — but you're driving me crazy. You seriously need to chill."

"I'm fine," Jim said grouchily. 

Yeah, okay, Jim _was_ fine — and he wasn't. Christmas's commercialized frenzy started earlier every year, and he'd been enduring the Salvation Army bell ringers, the fake scents of evergreen and cinnamon, the bombardment of Christmas music, and Joel's series of mind-blowing holiday ties for too long already, clearly.

"Yeah, I know," Blair said, "and you'll be even more fine up at the cabin."

Jim put the remote down and sighed. "You sure you can't —"

"We've been over this, Jim. I should be able to come up next weekend, at least. Maybe I can get another weekend in before Christmas — I'll try, okay? But unlike some people, I don't have a ton of vacation time and sick leave built up yet or have Simon in my corner about taking almost all of December off."

Jim frowned. "Simon's in your corner, Chief."

"I know, I know, but he's not my _only_ boss at CPD — and I don't turn into a very Grinchy sentinel every December. Giving you the time off to get some peace and quiet away from the city makes his life easier, not just yours."

"I'm not that bad," Jim said, looking disgruntled. Well, _pouting,_ in point of fact. It was pretty cute.

"Yeah, actually, you are," Blair said. "You need a break." 

Jim _did_ need a break. Even though he could manage the Christmas season perfectly well if he put his mind to it — especially if he let Blair help him — they'd learned over the past couple of years how important it was for him to have this time away.

Last year, however, Blair had been able to spend nearly two weeks at the cabin with Jim, since he hadn't been needed for anything just then at CPD and he hadn't started working for the foundation yet. And the year before that, he'd been able to ride up with Jim and stay the whole time — about the only benefit of being totally unemployed Blair had been able to appreciate back then, especially with the way things had turned out at the Academy.

But now he had two part-time, weirdly scheduled jobs that were going to keep him in Cascade most of the month — jobs he liked, jobs he _needed,_ jobs that didn't mind the way his academic career had ended. He had people who valued his experience and education and imagination.

And he was stuck here most of the month, away from Jim.

"You're pouting," Jim said.

"I am _not…._ " Blair trailed off, because yeah, he _had_ been pouting.

"Grinch," Jim accused, and he was teasing, Blair knew that —

…But he was also — maybe, just a little bit — right.


End file.
